Please select your home edition
Edition
Maritimo 2023 M600 LEADERBOARD

NOAA supports recovery in Puerto Rico, USVI

by Alyson Finn 15 Mar 2019 04:26 PDT
Divers reattaching © NOAA Fisheries

In December, NOAA received its second FEMA Recovery Support Mission Assignment to enable "U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) Coral Reef Emergency Response and Restoration for Sustainable Ocean Economies, Food Security, and Storm Surge Mitigation."

In the aftermath of major storm events such as the 2017 hurricane season, NOAA often holds a seat at the table during mission assignments for federal natural resource recovery. Reef systems in these territories are vital to the ecosystem, mitigating damages to coastlines from waves and storm surge.

In 2017, hurricanes Irma and Maria reached Category 5 strength, causing significant damage to the coral reefs in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Initial damage assessments revealed that large coral heads and Endangered Species Act-listed species were overturned, broken, or buried by sediments.

Corals are important economic engines for tourism in the region. Almost a quarter of all ocean species — such as red snapper, lobster, and octopus — depend on coral reefs for food and shelter. With hundreds of thousands of coral snapped from reefs and around the islands, the damage from storms of this strength can be detrimental to both the health of the ecosystem and the prosperity of these tourism-driven economies.

To speed the recovery of this resource, this latest mission assignment in the Virgin Islands will focus on propagating corals in nurseries and then transplanting them to impacted reef sites. While recovery efforts in Puerto Rico, which started over a year ago, focused on assessment and triage. To date, over 10,000 broken coral heads have be reattached.

The work in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands is urgently needed and rapid implementation of coral reef emergency response and restoration will reduce costs and maximize the benefit of FEMA dollars spent on restoration and recovery of these territories and their coastal communities. However, this work is not completed overnight, it takes months, even years, of planning, data collection, communication, and teamwork.

In Puerto Rico on deployment, Coral Reef Specialist Eileen Alicea and Coastal Resources Coordinator Rosa González spent most of their time working out of a FEMA Joint Recovery Office providing scientific support on applications and projects for FEMA Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation funds. The island-wide damages in Puerto Rico were unprecedented, presenting unique communication and reporting challenges. Daily briefings and coordination calls were held with stakeholders, state government agencies, local representatives, and partners — putting NOAA squarely at the table in federal natural resource recovery.

To build on this success, staff in the Pacific are scoping a potential assignment for coral reef damage associated with Super Typhoon Yutu and impacts in Saipan. This mission assignment is still under consideration, but given these successes from the 2017 storm season, it is likely that the 2018 recovery efforts for coral resources will be approved.

Related Articles

Melges 24 US Nationals open for entries
Online Registration is officially open for Pensacola event in November The U.S. Melges 24 Class is thrilled to announce that Online Registration is officially open for the 2025 U.S. National Championship, hosted by Pensacola Yacht Club (PYC) on November 14-16, 2025. Posted today at 9:17 am
Class40 top guns enter Rolex Fastnet Race
One of the most successful genre of offshore race boat ever Now 20+ years old, the Class40 has proved itself one of the most successful genre of offshore race boat ever. Posted today at 6:45 am
First all-women crew finish Annapolis-Newport Race
A historic milestone celebrated last week The 2025 Annapolis to Newport Race celebrated a historic milestone last week as the J/42 Allegiant became the first all-women crew to complete the legendary 475-nautical-mile offshore race. Posted today at 12:42 am
Thayer Trophy Women's Team Race preview
Regatta has become a catalyst for developing women's sailing teams When the Corinthian YC launched the National Women's Invitational Team Race for the Thayer Trophy in 2021, the goal was to give women sailors the opportunity to compete in a high-intensity format on par with the world's most renowned team racing events. Posted on 17 Jun
Finn World Masters in Medemblik Day 2
Pieter-Jan Postma leads after the second day of racing in The Netherlands Pieter-Jan Postma, from The Netherlands, is leading the fleet of 307 Finns from 27 countries after everyone sailed two more races at the 2025 Finn World Masters in Medemblik. France's Laurent Hay is second with Germany's Fabian Lemmel in third. Posted on 17 Jun
World Sailing launches the World Sailing Academy
A new online learning platform for the global sailing community World Sailing officially launched the World Sailing Academy, an innovative new online learning platform designed to provide comprehensive educational resources and training to sailors, coaches, officials, administrators, and the global sailing community. Posted on 17 Jun
Sailing and the summer solstice
Celebrating sailing and the longest day of the year If you love long evenings and early mornings, this is one of the best times of the whole year, as the summer solstice (Friday, June 20) and the entire rich expanse of summer are about to burst into bloom. Posted on 17 Jun
Erica Lush Completes Bermuda 1-2 Regatta First Leg
While training for the Solitaire Du Figaro Rhode Island sailor Erica Lush completed the first leg of the Bermuda 1-2 regatta as the only woman skipper in the fleet. Lush sailed solo from Newport to Bermuda, handling a boat new to her, and rough sea state. Posted on 17 Jun
Susan Widmann Sinclair Women's Championship
Winning this year's event was a very accomplished skipper, Carmen Cowles and her team The biennial running of Noroton Yacht Club's Susan Widmann Sinclair Women's Championship, presented by Fairfield County Bank, just finished a second wild and wooly event, thanks again to Mother Nature. Posted on 17 Jun
Video Review: The Amazing Cure 55
Composite Construction meets Cruising Convenience It was two years ago at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show that I talked to Dave Biggar about his ideas and plans for the Cure 55. At the 2025 show I got to step on board the yacht and see how his ideas became reality. Posted on 17 Jun
Rooster 2025Zhik 2024 DecemberExposure Marine